Crescent Pinwheels Spinwith Beef, Caraway and Cheese

Oh goodie! Today, my husband and I will be lunching on "soup-and-pinwheels"—a hot, tasty spin on soup-and-sandwiches.

As I write this in Texas, we're colder than Stockholm, Sweden. That's just not right! Fortunately, I've stocked up on "flexible foods"—ingredients to get creative with whenever the weather changes, or for moments of spontaneous entertaining.

For these hearty pinwheels, I'm using sliced cheese and sandwich meat; mayo and grainy mustard; and caraway and poppy seeds, rolled up in crescent dough, then sliced and baked. Hot from the oven, they turn a simple soup into a festive meal. And these big, beefy pastries work magic when unexpected guests arrive, or for fueling the armchair quarterbacks in your house. Here's the full recipe...

Big 'n' Beefy Caraway-Poppy Seed Pinwheels

I often write about "flavorprints"—classic combinations that work well together. Like mustard, caraway, and cheese—baked here with roast beef, crescent dough, and crunchy poppy seeds. These golden pinwheels are as hearty as sandwich halves, but more fun to eat. Serve hot with soup, salad, or as a snack. My favorite tweak: hickory-smoke flavored mustard adds even more punch to the pinwheels. (Tip: Parchment paper makes rolling up the dough a snap.)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 13x9-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Set out the ingredients.

2. Combine the mustard and mayonnaise in a small bowl.

3. Separate the dough into four large rectangles and place them adjacent on the parchment paper, to make one large sheet of dough. Firmly press the seams and perforations together to seal.

4. Spread half of the mustard mixture evenly over the dough, to within a 1/2-inch margin on the short ends of the dough.

5. Top with a layer of roast beef and a layer of cheese, again leaving a half-inch margin on the short ends.

6. Roll up the dough, starting at one of the short sides. Use the parchment paper to lift, tighten and smooth the roll as you go. Press to seal the final edge of the dough, and place the seam-side facing down.

7. Reset the parchment neatly in the pan, with the dough log on top. With a serrated knife, mark the dough at 12 even slicing points. Slice the dough into spiraled pinwheels. Arrange evenly on the parchment.

8. Spoon the remaining half of the mustard mixture on top of each pinwheel. Sprinkle with caraway and poppy seeds.

9. Bake 12-15 minutes, until the pinwheels puff up and are golden brown.

Tips:

• Mix different seeds together or sprinkle on separately. Sesame seed, cumin seed, and sunflower seeds are other good choices. Try flavored mustards, like hickory smoke, honey-mustard, or other flavor.

• Pillsbury® Grands! Crescent dough is thicker than the standard crescent dough, and easy to shape into a thick, single sheet. So the pinwheels are also plumper and heartier than the smaller crescents. Plan on 1 to 3 per serving, as side dishes or snacks, though you may be tempted to eat more. By the way, Pillsbury commissioned me to develop this recipe, and I'm so glad they did: it's now a favorite in our house, and one I'm so pleased to share.